Spiritual Gifts Can Be So Confusing
I was six years old when I received the best gift of my life. My dad surprised me with ... a trip to Disneyland! And he let me bring my best friend, Matt! And he bought us tickets so we could travel to Los Angeles ... by train! Matt and I had never been to Disneyland. It was one of the highlights of my childhood and one of the best gifts my dad could have possibly given me.
What is the best gift you have ever received?
The answer may be something you have thought very little about or even found confusing: your spiritual gifts.
When you give yourself to God, he gives himself to you. God’s Holy Spirit moves inside of you. As if that wasn’t enough, the Holy Spirit shows up in you with presents, what the Bible calls “spiritual gifts.” A spiritual gift is an ability the Holy Spirit empowers in you so you can use it to serve others and build up the church. It’s a gift the Holy Spirit gives you and a gift you are to give to others.
As a pastor, I’ve learned that many people are confused about spiritual gifts. That leads some to ignore them altogether, but the Apostle Paul says, “Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed” (1 Corinthians 12:1).
I want to share five easy-to-understand truths about spiritual gifts that will help you reach a higher level of service and purpose in the body of Christ.
#1 Every Christian Has At Least One Spiritual Gift
Some Christians wonder if they have a spiritual gift. The answer is yes. You do. Every Christian has at least one. “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.” (1 Corinthians 12:7).
Each believer is a part of the body of Christ and is gifted by God so they can fulfill their unique calling. How cool is that? Not only does God love you, he wants to use you to make a difference, and to enable you to do so, he has equipped you with spiritual gifts. That means understanding your spiritual gift is key to maximizing your contribution to God’s mission.
So, what exactly are these spiritual gifts? There are at least twenty-four listed in the Bible. Here they are:
Administration
Apostleship
Craftsmanship
Discernment
Evangelism
Exhortation
Faith
Giving
Healing
Helps
Hospitality
Intercession
Knowledge
Leadership
Mercy
Miracles
Shepherding
Prophecy
Service
Preaching
Teaching
Tongues
Wisdom
Worship
You might look at that list and think, Oh, ok, I’ll take some of that one and a little of that one, but that’s not how it works.
#2 The Holy Spirit Decides What Spiritual Gifts We Receive
You don’t choose which gifts you get; the Holy Spirit decides your spiritual gifts. “It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have” (1 Corinthians 12:11).
You cannot earn or work for a spiritual gift; they are gifts God gives you.
What you can do is ask God for gifts you don’t yet have. “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy” (1 Corinthians 14:1). Here, Paul encourages believers everywhere to desire gifts of the Spirit. So, if there is something you would like to have the ability to do on behalf of God’s Kingdom - it’s okay to pray and ask God for his provision. Then, trust that God will decide what gifts you need for the role he has for you in his Kingdom.
You’re probably wondering: How do I discover my spiritual gifts?
There are great assessment tools that can help, including this one: www.giftstest.com.
I would also encourage you to experiment. Jump in and start serving. Monitor what seems to come more naturally to you, where you see fruit, and what other people say about your efforts. You’ll likely start to discern one or two of your primary gifts.
#3 No One Receives All the Gifts, and No Single Gift Is Given to Everyone.
God tells us we are the body of Christ. A physical body has many parts, each with its unique function. You touch with your hands and run with your feet. Your eyes see, and your nose smells. (Your nose sometimes runs, and your feet may smell, but that’s something entirely different.) Similarly, God makes each of us a unique part of the body of Christ and especially effective at something important.
That means we have to depend on each other. We wouldn't need each other if each person had all the gifts.
Can you imagine how odd it would be if a human body was made up of only one part – just one big nose or two hundred pounds of spleen? “How strange a body would be if it had only one part!” (1 Corinthians 12:19). Similarly, can you imagine if everyone in a church had the same gift? If everyone had the gift of evangelism, who would show mercy to hurting people and shepherd new believers in their spiritual growth? Who would provide leadership or teaching if everyone had the gift of mercy?
So, God ensures that this is not the case. No one receives all the gifts (there are no superhuman Christians), and no single gift is given to everyone (we are meant to be different).
#4 God Gives Us Spiritual Gifts So That We Can Uniquely Love Other People
Why does God give us spiritual gifts? The answer to that question is the same as God’s answer to many questions: love. Jesus was asked to name the greatest commandment. He answered to love God and love people (see Matthew 22:36-40). Why has God given you spiritual gifts? So you can uniquely love God and other people.
God has given me the spiritual gifts of leading and teaching. Why? What am I to do with those gifts? It’s my unique God-given way to love people in Jesus’ name.
Love is the point. Love is always the point.
“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).
God loves his church and wants it to be healthy and strong. So, he gives spiritual gifts to his people so they can build up his church.
In fact, if God has led you to join a specific church, know that God sent you there because he wants you to be a gift to that church! Although you may be blessed by simply attending, you will come alive once you use your gifts to love your church.
#5 It Is a Sin to Waste the Gifts God Has Given You
Jesus told a story about a master who goes on a journey and leaves “talents” with three servants (see Matthew 25:14-30). Two servants used what was entrusted to them, investing it and doubling what was given. One of the servants did nothing with what was given to him. He ignored the gift, burying his talent. When the master returned, he told the first two, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” but, angry at the third for wasting his opportunity, calls him “wicked and lazy.”
God has entrusted you with some talents. It’s one of the greatest gifts you’ve received. He wants you to use them for the sake of others. He wants you to steward your gifts for God’s Kingdom. If you use them, one day you will hear God say to you, “Well done, my good and faithful servant,” but if you bury your talent ... well, you won’t.
And God wants so much more for your life than that!
TAKE ACTION
Paul wrote to his ministry apprentice Timothy, “This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you” (1 Timothy 1:6).
What would it look like for you to fan into flame the spiritual gift God gave you?
If you don’t know your spiritual gifts, take an assessment and start experimenting by volunteering at your church in an area that is similar to the way God made you.
If you do know, how can you develop your gift further? What would it look like if you used your gifts to their fullest in this season of your life?
Watch message “The Holy Spirit Gifts” by Brad D. Jenkins at Anthem Church. Anthem Church on YouTube
*If this has been helpful, please send me a message and let me know. And please help me by sharing this post with others who could benefit from it. My writing aims to help people enjoy a vibrant relationship with Jesus, and it is an honor to be on this journey with you. To read previous newsletters, visit www.bradjenkins.me/blog. To sign up for my free newsletter about life, leadership, and the Bible, subscribe at www.bradjenkins.me/subscribe.